I am just a small voice in this world, looking for more small voices to join mine. Together, we can make this world a better place... together we can make a difference! With the help of our Lord, I will spread the Good News until He returns!

Friday, January 28, 2011

Hello, all. I am hoping that this blog entry will come out more positive than I am feeling today. If not, I apologise in advance.

Today, well everyday, should be a great day. I am alive and well. I should be more grateful for that. However, it is not such a great day. Honestly I feel like curling up in a ball and crying. Stress is getting the best of me, and I am letting it. I should be GIVING IT TO GOD... why can't I??
I decided to go to my old job to pick up my things today. I knew that I would have to do it at some point, and thought it wouldn't be as hard as it was. Seeing the kids, my co workers... seeing my 2 year old son playing in the only place that has been (besides home) for his short little life. He (and I) miss it so much. Acen didn't want to leave, and to be honest, I didn't either. I wanted to go back into my classroom and work. I wanted to joke around with my co workers and play with my preschoolers. Instead, I packed up a few boxes, loaded them in my car, and said my goodbyes. Now I sit here, upset and trying not to get upset with my 2 young children as they play when they should be eating their lunch. Ugh, life can throw curve balls when you least expect it~

I am also worried. A very close family friend suffered a brain aneurysm on Wednesday night, had surgery last night, and is in critical condition in ICU. I worry about her children... they need their mom! GIVE IT TO GOD. How I am struggling with that! I have been praying non-stop for her, her family and friends. I just feel so lost! Praying is all I can do, I know that it is the best thing that I can do for someone... I just want to do more.

It seems as though everything is coming down crashing on me right now... maybe another test of my faith. I pray that I can get through these tests with more faith than I had 2 days ago. I pray that I can stop my stress and worries before it effects others. I pray that God can give me the strength to KNOW that he is taking care of all the situations in my life... to be reassured of His great love for me.

As I type these prayers, I can feel a calm coming over me (even though my kids are now screaming at each other ;)).

Today is rough... but I know that it will get better.

My title of this post, Just Do It. The Nike slogan. It makes me think... When we are inspired to do something, do we JUST DO IT? I am a thinker, I tend to really dig into things before I leap. Is this the right thing to do?? When I decided to go back to school, I jumped head first into it, and look how that turned out. I wound up dropping my classes days before class started. With my job, I was told that I either had to pay an incredible amount of my monthly income for childcare, or quit my job... I quit that day. Now look, I am hurting from that decision. Maybe I should have put more thought into those decisions before I made them... or maybe not. Perhaps God was leading me down this path (like I said in the previous post), and I did the right thing at the right time. I am too unsure as of today, as my mind is reeling all of the possibilities, and impossibilities???
Luke 1:37 "For nothing is impossible with God.”
((SIGH OF RELIEF))

God, I need you. I need to be shown what I should be doing in this life... am I doing the right thing? I feel so down, please pick me up. It is in JESUS' name that I pray, I praise. AMEN.

Thursday, January 20, 2011

This has been my first week home, without a "real" job. It has been kind of depressing, missing my preschoolers and co-workers. On the other hand, God has shown me that there are a lot more things to keep busy with, be grateful for and new goals to reach!
Some of my new goals are:
*Be the Mom that I always wanted to be~ to raise my children to be Godly children.
*Put a lot of energy into helping those in need, in as many ways that I can.
*Potty train my toddler (really, it is harder than it sounds!).
*Join a class at my church.
*Fulfill my dream of being a photographer.

I have a head start on some of these goals, already! I have found ways to reach out to my kids, many opportunities to show them how much God and myself love them. I don't know if those opportunities would have come up had I still been working full-time. I appreciate the time that I have with my children a lot more, and it is a lot less stressful. That has been a blessing!

When it comes to putting more energy into helping those in need, my sisters and I have jumped into Enraptured Embrace head first, and have learned a lot already. This mission is helping me a lot, and I LOVE IT! I look forward to making these memory quilts, and sending love and comfort to those who have suffered the losses like our family has in the past years.

Potty Training my toddler. Oh, boy! This has been a wake up call. I have always had help in this field, since my children have always been in childcare! I will delve into that more in another blog entry, I think. This is going to be a process!

I have yet to join a class at church. I have, however, taken a brochure and looked over the classes that I am interested in joining. I am taking Zumba at church, and yes I know that doesn't really count. I want to be able to read and understand the Bible, and I know that a class with other women will really benefit me as a whole.

My photography business is underway. I have put the offer out to some family and friends to take family pictures to build up my portfolio. I have had a lot of feedback, and offers for props which I am really excited about.

In whole, God has shown me a lot this week. I look forward to moving down this well lit path! This is something that is new to me, and I am looking to God for guidance. I know that he will guide me along the way! I have faith!

It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not fail you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed. (Deuteronomy 31:8)

The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? Though an army encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; though war rise up against me, yet I will be confident. (Psalm 27: 1, 3)

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

The past year has been life changing in the life of Karie Anne. I think God has a completely different plan for me, one that shows me that I have been on the wrong path for years?? I have stated in other posts that I am a childcare/ preschool teacher in a daycare. I have worked with children all of my life, and in childcare for over 10 years. This came to a VERY abrupt halt this past Friday. I was given an ultimatum, pay an outrageous amount of my income towards childcare for my 2 year old, or quit my job of 5 years. So... I quit my job. This is something that I am VERY upset about, torn if you will. I am very attached to not only the kids in my class, but the staff that I have worked with over the years. I feel that I am being treated unfairly, it is not a decision that I wanted to make at all. If it were up to me, I would still be there. I loved my job!
God has another plan for me. This is something that I am trying so hard to accept... and figure out what the job may be. I introduced (in my last blog entry) the start of Enraptured Embrace. If it were not for EE, I think I would be a lot more lost than I am right now. I am also going to pursue my interest in photography. This is something that I have wanted to do for a REALLY long time, and actually have the time to do it now. I think that I have a little TOO much time on my hands, though.
At this point, I am doing a whole lot of praying! Praying for a sign of what is next... I feel like I am suffocating with worry. I have never NOT had a job, and had I known this was coming, I would have prepared myself financially. God has provided my husband with a successful job, and we are thankful for that. There are so many people that are out of work, the economy is sinking, and I am struggling to keep the faith that WE won't be next. I have always looked at the bright side of things, even when the bright side is a tunnel with a train slowly approaching. I will continue to look at the bright side... I have God in my corner. I have healthy children, a home, food, a car and loving friends and family. I really have it all! God won't let me drown, and if I start to sink, HE will pull me back up.
God Bless you and as always, thanks for reading!

Thursday, January 13, 2011

Wow... I have had some deep thinking time the past few days! Between my kids and myself being sick (so I have not been working as often... a lot of free time!), visits to Urgent Care (eeewwww), school and trying to enjoy winter in good ole Wisconsin, I have had a lot to ponder, pray about and praise!
Just this past week, my sisters and I have come up with a wonderful nonprofit organization called Enraptured Embrace. We will be making quilts out of clothing and treasured items of a loved one lost, for those who remain here on Earth. These quilts' purpose is to comfort them, fill them with love and hope after the loss of a loved one. Please take a moment to check us out on Facebook , and if you or someone that you know would be interested in such a service, please email us at enrapturedembrace@gmail.com
We are all very excited to begin this journey, and know that God has put it in our hearts to serve others who are hurting like we are over losses so great. God Bless you, and as always, THANKS FOR READING!

Monday, January 10, 2011

It is tough to open your heart and mind to REALLY listen to what God has to tell you, where He wants you to go in your life... especially if it is something that you may not want to do. I am in a funk. God tells me in all the signs that I am to show people what it means to be a Christian.. to guide His children to Him. To be honest, I know that there is a lot that I have no idea about, and I am praying that He can send me some answers. I have been trying to follow what He wants me to do, and I know that I slip up. It is hard not to when I am only human.
I know that God wants me to be happy... so why am I feeling like I am put to the test all the time? Why am I so unhappy in my marriage? Why do I have lack of trust and love for my husband? I know that it is all for a reason, I am an impatient woman and have a hard time waiting for that reason to be revealed. I pray that I can be patient and not jump to instant results. My mind and my heart are not working together so well right now. That can be a problem!
These kind of days remind me that I have to work on my faith daily... life is not easy, my job is not easy. I tend to put more on my plate than I can chew, and eventually realize that I have not been listening to what God wants me to do. In a previous post, I stated that I am going back to school. I have just had a door close in my face when it comes to this. I am not getting the state grant that I was hoping for to help pay for this, so I have decided that this isn't in my plans. Just after I made this decision, Enraptured Embrace came about. (My sisters and I have started a non-profit organization that will provide quilts made from lost loved ones to the bereaved family & friends. In light of our family losses the past year, this helps us as well. Our organization is called Enraptured Embrace and we can be found on Facebook :) It has been very uplifting to be involved in something like this with my best friends, my sisters. If you or anyone that you know would be interested in such a service, you can email us at enrapturedembrace@gmail.com . )
Maybe this is what I was supposed to do, and took directions from God in the opposite direction. His message wasn't about ME, it was about OTHERS, and their need to be comforted.
I feel a little better about not going back to school now. Now that I have EE to move forward with. I have been too unsure if school was the right thing, and listened to my brain instead of my heart.
I hope and pray that I am right.

This is something that has been on my mind for a long, long time. How to be a Christian Parent. To be a Christian is to be Christ-like. How in the world can I be Christ-like when parenting three young children?! I feel that I have gotten to be a better parent over the years, practice supposedly makes perfect, yet I won't kid myself, no one (besides our Lord Jesus) is or ever was perfect.
I am going to share my parenting story with all who come here for a good read, or so I hope that this is!
I became a mother when I was almost 19 years old. It was about 1 month before I turned 19 when I gave birth to my son, Ashur. As afraid as I was, I was super exited to start this journey! I read all the books, sought out help when I needed it and did my very best, so I thought. When my son was 3, he started attending Sunday school... while my husband and I hung out and waited until he was done with class, barely attending church ourselves. BUT, we believed that we were doing what was right for our son. It really should have been us that were teaching him about our savior, we realize that now.
When we had our second child, I was 25 years old. A sweet little girl, Ayla. I think that I was even more terrified to have a daughter... she was a handful from day one. Five years later, she is still our most challenging child! Then, when I was 27 1/2, I gave birth to our youngest child, a beautiful little boy, Acen. This pregnancy was the one that gave us a real scare, to learn more on this topic, read my Salvation story.
So... now you see, we have 3 children. Ashur is now almost 11, Ayla is 5, and Acen is 2 1/2.
BACK to the topic at hand... How to be a Christian parent. Or... better yet, how to be a successful Christian parent! Part of my resolution for the new year (remember the one word resolution?), REMEMBER... this word means a lot more to me than what I stated in the last post. I want to remember that my kids are a gift from God, that HE gave them to me to take care of, love and raise. How would he want me to raise them? We go to church, we pray together, we talk about right and wrong, love, loss, friendships, responsibilities and things that we enjoy... one of the most important things that I can think He would want me to do for my kids is to PRAY for THEM. BAAAACCCCKKKK to my resolution.. REMEMBER TO PRAY FOR THEM!! All too often, I forget to pray for the things that I take for granted. My family, friends, and my job. These things I am VERY thankful for! So I feel that a VERY important part of raising children is to pray for them. Pray that they make the right decisions in life, that they form healthy relationships, that they love Jesus and don't forget who they are in this life. God's children. Proverbs - Chapter 22:6

Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.

When I truly realized how much God loves me, sins and all, I was amazed. This is something that I try to remind my children. When you know this, it really changes the way you look at your life. It makes your life all that much more worth it, even through the struggles! Someone once told me that God knows your heart. He doesn't so much care for how you appear on the outside, but more for how you are on the inside (something along these lines). Therefore what happens in your home, away from all eyes (besides God's), is more important than what everyone is witness to. I try to think back to this when I am frustrated with one of my children.
HOW DO I KEEP MY "COOL"?! There are times when I feel like my head will burst. When I am so overwhelmed by one of my children (usually my little girl...), I don't know what to do besides yell at the top of my lungs. Does it help? Nope. Not at all. This just taught my kids that when something bothers you, YELL! And then... Mom isn't so happy again. A vicious circle!
I am on the hunt for new ideas, how to discipline the right way. I am a Google master whenever I have a question about... anything. I Googled "How to parent according to the Bible". I came across a very helpful page, here is the link: http://www.gotquestions.org/good-parent.html .
I hope that you find this article helpful as well. As always, if you have any questions, comments or helpful hints to share with me, I more than welcome them! Thanks for reading, and God bless you! ~Karie Anne